1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a model generating device which measures a target object using a three-dimensional measuring machine, and generates a three-dimensional model of the target object using the measurement data. The present invention also relates to a position and orientation calculating device for calculating a position and orientation of the target object based on the three-dimensional model and the measurement data of the target object. The present invention also relates to a handling robot device which calculates a position and orientation of the target object based on the three-dimensional model and the measurement data of the target object, and handles the target object using a robot based on the calculated position and orientation of the target object.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a device which checks data measured by a three-dimensional measuring machine against a three-dimensional model, to calculate a position and orientation of a target object (hereinafter may be referred to as “object”), the three-dimensional model of, for example, the target object should be previously generated. The three-dimensional model is generated mainly by the following two methods.
In a first method, CAD data of a target object are used. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2010-079453 discloses a technology for generating a three-dimensional model for estimation of position and orientation from the CAD data. In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2010-079453, measurement data, which can be expected to be acquired from the CAD data when the target object is three-dimensionally measured, are generated, and then the three-dimensional model for estimation of position and orientation is generated based on the generated measurement data.
In a second method, a target object is actually measured by a three-dimensional measuring machine, and then a three-dimensional model is generated. However, a general three-dimensional measuring machine measures only a surface of an object, which is exposed to the upper side. Thus, in order to calculate positions and orientations of various objects, each object should be previously measured from various perspectives. In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2010-113398, a three-dimensional measurement and a calculation of position and orientation are repeated while the orientation of an object is gradually changed, and then a three-dimensional model of the object is generated by integrating the measurement data based on the calculated position and orientation.